Gastown was named after sailor Deighton, who came to the US hoping to strike in rich in the Gold Rush of California.

He eventually became one of Vancouver’s first settlers, opening a bar called the Globe Saloon. The Gastown area was named after him. Deighton’s statue can still be seen there today.

Deighton’s signed letter was written in 1875, the year of his death. The letter is incredibly rare as the Vancouver Archives currently only has one ‘Gassy’ Jack’s signature.

It has been part of some rare Vancouver-related documents originally gathered by the late renowned collector Gerald Wellburn. Wellburn auctioned off his collection for $1 million in 1988, but held onto some items.